Moving in Moving On
by JantoJones
Summary: Ianto is moving into his new house. (Set mid season 1)


Ianto Jones stood with his hands on his hips and surveyed the boxes in front of him. Each one was labelled with its contents, which were waiting to be distributed around the house. The Welshman had been looking forward to this day for weeks. Jack had persuaded him to sell his old flat and, after thinking about it, Ianto had realised it was the right thing to do. He'd bought the flat when he'd first arrived back in Cardiff and, since then, he'd hardly been in it.

At first, he'd been too busy looking after Lisa, so couldn't spend too much time away from the hub. After her death, Ianto had properly moved into the flat, but then the Cannibal Incident had happened. He couldn't bear to be alone in the place after that, so he'd gone back to the hub. Even though he slept alone there, he always knew Jack would be about somewhere. That knowledge was enough to give him a sense of safety. His plan was scuppered when Jack discovered his return. The captain had taken Ianto to his office, given him a scotch, and then settled down for the inevitable conversation.

_"We need to sort this out Ianto. You can't live at the hub."_

"You do."

"That's different," Jack replied patiently. "What is it about your flat that you're avoiding, apart from your need not to be alone?"

Ianto shrugged. Now that he'd been confronted about it, he realised how pathetic it was going to sound.

"I decorated it to Lisa's taste," he confessed.

Jack tried to keep his emotions in check. Things had been hard going since the destruction of the Cyberman that had once been Lisa, but it had been improving.

"I meant to redecorate," the younger man continued, with sorrow in his voice, "but I couldn't bring myself to."

Jack poured Ianto another drink.

"You should sell it. Get a new place."

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTTWTWTWTW

So here he was in his new house, ready to move in properly. All the decorating had been done, thanks to help from Gwen and Tosh, and his brand new furniture and appliances were in place. Now all Ianto had left to do, was put his clothes away and sort through his personal belongings. He quickly filled his wardrobe; put the bathroom items in their correct place and the bedroom things in the bedroom. Once done, he made his way back downstairs. Halfway down, there was a knock on the front door. On the other side, a beaming Jack Harkness stood. He was carrying an overly gift-wrapped box. Ianto smiled and beckoned him in.

"House warming present," the Captain announced, holding up the box.

"If this is a coffee maker Sir, I may have to shoot you."

Ianto hadn't meant any malice in the statement, but Jack still grimaced. It hadn't been that long ago since the Welshman had promised to watch him die. Ianto read the look on his boss's face and instantly regretted his flippant remark.

"Sorry Sir, just a joke."

Jack recovered himself and offered a reassuring grin.

"Go on then, open it," he urged.

Ianto couldn't help but laugh at Jack's childlike enthusiasm. Whatever was in the box, he was obviously very proud of it. The younger man carefully undid the ridiculously large bow and tore through the gaudy paper. The box was full of packing material and nestled amongst it was a ceramic letter L. It was about eight inches high and was purple with pink flowers on it. He looked at Jack quizzically.

"L for Lisa," the Captain explained. "Not sure if you're ready to put pictures up yet, but you should have something to keep her memory alive."

Ianto was stunned. This was the first time Jack had even acknowledged Lisa as a person. He looked at the ornament again, and then he scanned the room for the perfect spot for it. He placed the L, almost reverentially, on the shelf above the television.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Jack smiled warmly. He'd been worried how his gift would be taken and had half expected to have it, literally, thrown back at him. Before either of them could say anything else, there was another knock at the door. Ianto opened it to reveal Gwen on the doorstep, also carrying a gift. He invited her in and accepted the parcel from her.

"Jack's here too," he told her, trying to ignore the look of delight on her face.

Sitting next to Jack, she gestured to Ianto open his gift. Upon opening the box, Ianto was rather pleased to find a selection of herbal and exotic teas. He found he was quite touched by such a thoughtful present and, leaning down, he kissed her lightly on the cheek. Just then, there was another knock on the door. The knock was too gentle to be the bombastic Owen, so it could only be Toshiko. Ianto invited her in and accepted the gift she'd brought, with a smile.

"This is turning into a party," he commented as he gestured to an armchair.

Tosh sat down and waited for Ianto's reaction to her gift. She grinned widely when she saw his face light up. He showed the contents to the others.

"It's wagashi," he told them, "traditional Japanese sweets."

He turned to Tosh and gave her a thank you kiss.

"These will go perfectly with Gwen's gift. Can I offer anyone tea and sweets?"

There was a chorus of yesses, so Ianto went to boil the kettle. As he was returning with the tea there was a loud thumping on the door.

"That will be Owen," he murmured drily. "Tosh, would you mind pouring?"

Ianto opened the door and found a small cactus being thrust at him.

"There you go Tea Boy, the others in here are they?"

The medic strode into the living room, leaving Ianto clutching the cactus in one hand and the door in the other. Following Owen, he showed the rest of the group his gift.

"Look what Owen gave me. Thank you Owen."

"I figured, since you work ridiculously long hours, you should have a plant that won't die if you forget to water it."

Ianto was somewhat taken aback. It seemed that Owen had actually managed to put some thought into something. He held his teacup up in preparation for a toast.

"Thank you all," he said, "and here's to the first day of the rest of my life."


End file.
